Menindee

The historic township of Menindee sits snugly between the magnificent Menindee Lakes and the Darling River on the cusp of Kinchega National Park.

The Menindee Lakes offer a safe haven for water birds and provide the opportunity for spectacular freshwater fishing. Nearby Copi Hollow – an artificially-constructed lake – is ideal for speedboats, sailing, swimming, water-skiing, and all manner of water sports.

The town’s unique outback position also sees it the beneficiary of some of NSW’s most breathtaking sunsets. Menindee is a photographer’s dream to be sure, but there’s much more to this town than just natural beauty.

Menindee was the first established town on the Darling River during the paddle steamer era of the mid-1800s. The Menindee Heritage Trail takes you on a journey through time, rediscovering the many people, places and events in the history of this fascinating town. Be sure to find the two historic trees – one marked by a survey team in 1882, and one in Yartla Street that marks the height of the 1890 floods.

The Menindee Lakes make a striking contrast to the desert that surrounds them, but now the desert is blooming with citrus, apple and stone fruit orchards, tomato and vegetable fields. With modern irrigation Menindee has rapidly developed a horticultural industry. A pipeline running from Menindee provides Broken Hill with regular supply of water.

The dry sand dunes around the lakes have unveiled some of the most prolific and early remnants of human existence anywhere in the world, with fossils and marked stones of the Barkindji people and their ancestors dating back 26,000 years! For a perspective on Menindee’s more recent history, namely its pastoral heritage, visit the Kinchega Woolshed where six million sheep were shorn during a century of operation. At its peak in the 1880s there were stands for 62 shearers. Today, you can bunk down in the old shearers’ quarters.

Other accommodation options include numerous cottages, caravan parks, motels and farm stays. Menindee also boasts the second oldest pub in New South Wales, which is where Burke and Wills stayed during their ill-fated expedition to the Gulf of Carpentaria. Menindee is a town that offers a little of the old with a bit of the new, and it’s yours to discover today.